Draymond makes franchise history in series win over Pelicans: 'Add that to the jacket'

Draymond makes franchise history in series win over Pelicans: 'Add that to the jacket'

OAKLAND -- If there were such an award as Most Valuable Player in a conference semifinals series, Draymond Green would have earned another trophy.

Instead, he’ll have to settle for the Warriors winning the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals in five games. The victory over New Orleans was largely a product of his effective presence at both ends.

“Draymond was amazing the whole series,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday night, after a 113-104 win in Game 5 ended the series. “Obviously he's such a valuable player for us, and you know, a guy who fits the modern NBA so well. You've got to be able to guard everybody on the floor, and Draymond does that.”

Well, yes, he did. He also made some history.

Green became the first member of the Warriors to average a triple-double in a postseason series. His averages over five games: 14.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 10.0 assists.

“Add that to the jacket,” said Green, who thrives on meeting challenges.

Green came within one assist of getting a triple-double in Game 5, finishing with 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. He was plus-12 over 41 minutes.

Series highs for the sixth-year power forward were 20 points in Game 2, 15 rebounds in Game 1 and 12 assists in Game 3.

“Nothing surprises me,” Curry said, “But I’m always just kind of impressed and you don't want to take a talent like that for granted what he brings every single night . . .

“It's fun to watch, the intensity he plays with and timely plays on both ends of the floor, it's what a ‘gamer’ does and that's what he's been his whole career. Earlier in his career, never, rarely showed up in the stats sheet like his stuff is there right now but right now, yeah, it's -- right now, it's the whole package and it's amazing.”

Green also made an impact with his emphatic request to play more at center, which meant he’d be primarily responsible for defending Pelicans All-Star Anthony Davis.

Moreover, it allowed Kerr to unveil the “Hamptons 5” as a starting lineup for the first time, with Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson joining Green and Curry.

The Warriors used that lineup in Games 4 and 5. They trailed for all of about two minutes over the course of those two games.

What prompted the outburst from Durant? According to TMZ Sports, the fan was taunting Durant with "cupcake" references. Durant asked the refs to intervene, but they didn't take any action, so it appears KD took matters into his own hands.

We can understand why Durant is a little sensitive to criticism right now, but he has to know he can't do this.

Warriors road trip redux: Inside observations from 0-3 Texas visit

Warriors road trip redux: Inside observations from 0-3 Texas visit

The Warriors came back from Texas winless, going 0-3 in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. It’s part of the larger stretch of five losses in seven games. When the Warriors flew home Sunday night with a 12-6 record, their six losses put them in fourth in the Western Conference, behind the Trail Blazers, Grizzlies and Clippers with five losses each.

Let’s recap what happened in Texas ...

The Warriors arrived in Houston on Thursday. Draymond Green returned to the lineup after serving his one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team, and there was a giant spotlight on his relationship with Kevin Durant. Even my mom called me to get the scoop.

Draymond talked to the media at shootaround. He explained: “I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I play with that same emotion. Sometimes it gets the best of me, and it doesn’t work to my favor.”

Draymond concluded: “We’re not going to crumble off of an argument. We’re going to move forward. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

The game against the Rockets was a 21-point loss. The quarter-scoring breakdowns were 19-22-22-23 in a low-energy game for the Dubs.

One fun thing behind the scenes was the joy on a Warriors staffer’s face when he learned Chuck Norris was in the building. On the bus ride to the game, we were telling Chuck Norris jokes (Chuck Norris CAN touch MC Hammer!), and we had a magical moment where we felt like we willed his presence into existence at the game. We then decided to talk about Beyoncé so she’d show up at the next game. Didn’t happen.

On to Dallas. The Warriors held an optional practice Friday, then the rest of the day was free. Dinner was at Nobu.

“They have a lot of equity built in that relationship. ... They’ve won championships together,” Steph said. “They’ve brought the best out of each other. Obviously, they never had an incident to this level. But when you have the experiences that they had and go through the journey we’ve been on, they won’t let it be derailed by something like that.”

Steph reiterated Draymond’s sentiment that an argument in November won’t derail the team.

Steph's groin injury will be re-evaluated Nov. 24. He has been doing workouts with Rick Celebrini at practice and before games.

The Mavs game was a good one for Damian Lee, who scored 11 points in the first half and finished with 13. Lee was going to be my halftime interview ... but he raced off the floor before Ray Ridder could corral him!

Halftime became more unusual when the battery fell off my microphone as I talked to Jarron Collins. I take the mic with me everywhere, even when I’m interviewing people off camera. When I got to my seat, I noticed the microphone felt lighter ... the battery was gone ... and I had to immediately retrace my steps.

The battery fell off by the Mavs bench. A Mavs security person found it and placed it on the team’s water cooler. A Mavs fan saw all this happen and let me know where the battery was when I walked over in a panic. Crisis averted!

The Warriors brought more energy to the Mavs game, and Lee, Quinn Cook, and Shaun Livingston contributed 40 points off the bench, but the team faded late in the fourth quarter and lost.

The Warriors flew to San Antonio after the Mavs game, and reached the hotel at about 2 a.m. The late arrival blended into the next day, the kind where it’s normal to greet your fellow travelers with “good morning” when you see them for brunch at 12:30 p.m.

Steve Kerr let the players sleep in Sunday, and the coaches conducted the pre-game meeting in the locker room at the game instead of at brunch, like usual.

The Warriors arrived at the Spurs' arena 0-2 and hungry for a win to end the trip on a good note.

The Spurs led by as many as 18 points, and the Warriors brought it back within one, but they did not win. It’s the first time they’ve had an 0-3 stretch in Kerr’s time with the team.

KD and Klay spoke postgame about their combined shooting woes. KD went 24 of 64 on field goals and 1 of 13 on threes during the road trip. Klay went 25 of 66 on field goals and 5 of 27 on threes.

Klay looked agitated by the outcome, but that’s his usual state after a loss. This dude hates to lose. He also has some discomfort being surrounded by a big media scrum after any game, but he soldiers through it.

I asked Spurs coach Gregg Popovich before the game what he thought about Kerr’s leadership and his ability to nurture a locker room dealing with issues. Pop cut me off and joked, ‘It’s all kumbaya.” But he continued when another reporter pressed him. Pop said, “I’m sure no matter how you all think or write or talk about it, it’s not as big a deal as you’ve all made it.”

This trip combined a web of disharmony, repair, injuries and cold shooting, and three games in four days, which resulted in losses that probably will be be glommed together under one screaming banner of “WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE WARRIORS???”

A few issues are intertwined right now to create this rough patch. Kerr summed it up Sunday night, saying: “We’ve had such a charmed existence the last four seasons. So, yeah, of course, this is the toughest stretch we’ve been in. This is the real NBA. We haven’t been in the real NBA the last few years. We’ve been in this dream. So now we’re faced with real adversity. We’ve got to get out of it ourselves.”